Paleontology
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PaleontologyFirst known fossilized dinosaur brain unearthed, scientists claim
A dinosaur fossil that preserves brain tissue has been discovered for the first time, researchers announce.
By Meghan Rosen -
PaleontologyPicture of primate common ancestor coming into focus
A new family tree analysis predicts behavior of primate common ancestor.
By Erin Wayman -
PaleontologyEarly birds could achieve liftoff
Early birds and other flying dinosaurs had the strong legs and wing speed needed to launch into the air directly from the ground, researchers argue.
By Meghan Rosen -
PaleontologyAncient armored fish revises early history of jaws
The fossil of a 423-million-year-old armored fish from China suggests that the jaws of all modern land vertebrates and bony fish originated in a bizarre group of animals called placoderms.
By Meghan Rosen -
PaleontologyBirds’ honks filled Late Cretaceous air
Oldest avian voice box fossil yet discovered belonged to a ducklike bird that lived during the age of the dinosaurs.
By Meghan Rosen -
PaleontologyAncient microbe fossils show earliest evidence of shell making
Armor-plated, 809-million-year-old fossilized microbes discovered in Canada are the oldest known evidence of shell making.
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AnimalsBarnacles track whale migration
The mix of oxygen isotopes in the shells of barnacles that latch on to baleen whales may divulge how whale migration routes have changed over millions of years.
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PaleontologyPterosaurs weren’t all super-sized in the Late Cretaceous
A 77-million-year-old flying reptile may be the smallest pterosaur of the Late Cretaceous.
By Meghan Rosen -
LifeFossils hint at India’s crucial role in primate evolution
Ancient fossils from coal mine in India offer clues to what the common ancestor of present-day primates might have looked like.
By Bruce Bower -
Health & MedicineReaders contemplate aging research
Aging research, dino guts and Earth's quasisatellite in reader feedback.
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PaleontologyPreteen tetrapods identified by bone scans
Roughly 360 million years ago, young tetrapods may have schooled together during prolonged years as juveniles in the water.
By Susan Milius -
PaleontologyJurassic ichthyosaur dubbed ‘Storr Lochs Monster’ unveiled
A rare, 170-year-old skeleton discovered in Scotland is one of the best-preserved ichthyosaur fossils from the Middle Jurassic.
By Meghan Rosen